Romal is a Senior Research Officer in the Development and Public Finance Programme at ODI. He specialises in public financial management and domestic revenue mobilisation reform in lower-income and fragile states.

Prior to joining ODI, Romal worked as an economist with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Department for International Development (DFID) for more than 10 years, including as DFID Country Economist in Afghanistan and Ghana. He is an international development specialist with over 12 years' experience in the field. He has managed a variety of aid instruments, including technical assistance, direct budget support and financial support, and has designed, implemented and monitored several FCDO and DFID development programmes in Afghanistan, Ghana and Central Asia.

Romal holds an MBA in Financial Management from Pune University and studied public policy economics at the University of Oxford's Department for Continuing Education.